6 COVID CASES AT SMMH HOSPITAL IN BRACEBRIDGE AS OMICRON SOARS LOCALLY
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — With soaring Omicron cases threatening Muskoka hospitals, a COVID outbreak at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital (SMMH) has the health unit placing it in outbreak status and two impacted staff are in quarantine.
That’s in addition to four other staff.
There were 60 new COVID cases in Muskoka today, reports the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare says in a release late this afternoon, Thursday Dec. 30, that it has two confirmed staff cases of COVID-19.
They say the outbreak is isolated in the maintenance department and is fully contained.
They emphasize that the hospital itself is not in outbreak.
“Hospital operations continue as normal and there is no risk to patients in the hospital,” says the release.
They add that an additional four staff cases of COVID-19 have also been identified in other areas of the hospital with no confirmed connection to the outbreak and are not linked to transmission within the workplace.
Once again, impacted staff are in quarantine and contact tracing has not identified any patients at risk.
“As you have been hearing of late there is an increasing rate of spread of the COVID-19 virus not only provincially but also locally as cases climb in Muskoka,” says Vickie Kaminski, interim president and CEO.
“We recognize that our team members are equally vulnerable to COVID-19 in the community. Now more than ever it is so important to follow public health advice to reduce the risks of contracting or transmitting the COVID-19 virus. We urge everyone to get vaccinated, wear a mask, practice physical distancing and good hand hygiene, and to limit social contact with others.”
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